I recently posted a rating on IB called âa margin bulldozerâ in the broker rating section; it seems it got deleted today. While I am not sure the reason for the delete, it might relate to the fact that I have rated already this broker before, however I have seen others that have rated IB âfavorablyâ twice and where NOT deleted, so that raises some question on the objectivity of the broker ratings we see here on ET. Below you can find the rating that I have posted. -------------------------------------------------------------------- A Margin Bulldozer There has been an orchestrated response by IB fans to my earlier rating of the company on Aug 16, there is a total of 8 ratings responding directly or indirectly to the review. These people say IB is a top notch broker, 5 stars.., has a host of products, good executions, great commissions, excellent platform, safe finances, all while costumer service is improving. I must say âI agreeâ. But if you are using one dollar of margin or leverage STAY AWAY from them. They are good only for cash accounts. The latest example has been, a decision out of the blue, to require 100% margin for all stock lower then 250M, and they gave their clients only a few days notice.. Only after considerable pressure they have lightened the rule a bit. There is no other broker in the industry that I am aware off, that would change margin rules that quickly, and then liquidate your account that quickly. Summery. For cash accounts; great broker. For margin accounts; a bulldozer.
You need to know what you are doing, but you can't possibly figure out what your broker will be doing.